Law school ended, not with a bang, but with an eight hour take-home exam finished yesterday around 3PM. I spent my final minutes officially in "law school" writing about due process, which I suppose is fitting. At some points during the exam it was difficult to keep going- not because the subject was difficult or because I didn't want to end my law school experience- but because I was taking the class pass/fail and and I kept thinking "well I've certainly PASSED by now."
So that's that. That was a fast three years. I'm sure it will seem like an equally long amount of time between now and my bar exam. My bar exam prep company helpfully emailed me just minutes after I had finished my final exam to let me know that "directed self-study mode" was now active. Super.
This week is all a wind-down. Lots of potlucks and dinners and receptions and exit-counseling and such. Next Friday I will be commissioning as a Navy JAG (though I won't actually go to officer school until November because of how the bar result release schedule works). I'm really looking forward to that, because I still don't feel like that whole thing is real and perhaps actually commissioning will help. I didn't know that this would be an option, but apparently active officer OR any officer in any branch of service who has retired with more than 20 years of service is able to commission me, and so I'm very excited that Papa Buck has agreed to give me the oath.
I imagine that at some point, perhaps after I finish the bar, which most certainly qualifies as being part of the buzz saw, I will start a new blog and consider this one completed.
All in all, law school- not that hard in retrospect and without any prospect of having to do it again.
Wednesday, May 7, 2014
Saturday, April 26, 2014
Timeline
There have been many times in the past when I have sat down to write a post and then, mid-post, something has happened that created a bigger story that needed to play out before I could write anything. It's sort of like Lost or most formulaic single-plot shows that last beyond one season. You know- you start with "we've got to get off the island and not let nature kill us!" and then suddenly "there are other people on the island who want to kill us!" and then "there's a conspiracy bigger than the other people and THOSE people want to kill us!" etc.... There's always something bigger just around the corner that is teased in the final few seconds of each episode. So that's why I haven't blogged about certain things in a while- the story kept changing too quickly.
Though I have kept track of much of my fun experience in attempting to become a JAG, I haven't posted everything. For my future reference, I decided to make a timeline:
July 15, 2013:
I go to MEPS (military entrance processing station). Fail hearing test. Am told to get a waiver and there will be no problem whatsoever.
August 12, 2013:
Waiver denied. Am told there are no waivers for hearing being granted. Am told this is pretty much the end of the line.
August 20, 2013:
Request to retake hearing test denied. Am told this is pretty much the end of the line.
October 14, 2013:
Earliest appointment I could get with an ENT in the city. ENT thinks I could probably pass the test if given another chance and writes a letter to the Navy.
December 18, 2013:
Request to retake hearing test denied. Am told this is pretty much the end of the line. Also, my original recruiter is transferring and I get a new recruiter.
December 31, 2013:
Ear surgery. Tiny bones are superglued together.
February 24, 2014:
I find out the ear surgery actually improved my hearing by about 10 decibels in the appropriate range.
March 5, 2014:
New waiver consideration package sent in with results from surgery.
March 11, 2014:
I receive an e-mail telling me that my new waiver was denied because I failed the hearing test. Am told this is absolutely the end of the line.
March 11, 2014:
I question why my having failed the hearing test previously would result in a denial following a surgery to correct the hearing.
March 11, 2014:
I am told that I failed the hearing test twice and that's why I can't take it again. Am told my only resort is to complain to my congressman.
March 11, 2014:
I respond that I am aware I took the hearing test twice because both tests were done on the same day. I ask whether it is official policy that having ever failed a test means you can never take that test again even if the underlying condition is corrected. I point out that I am asking because such information goes against everything anyone in the Navy has ever told me, ever.
March 11, 2014:
A new recruiter calls me and says he is taking over my case. Also, my original recruiter comes back and starts working with me again.
March 12, 2014:
The hospital says they will mail me my records.
March 19, 2014:
The hospital apologizes for having said they will mail me my records without actually mailing me my records. They say they will mail me my records.
March 24, 2014:
I go to the hospital. I take my records. The hospital apologizes for having told me that they would mail me my records twice and then losing all my paperwork. They helpfully point out that I have a very common name and that my paperwork would be easy to misfile.
March 25, 2014:
The appropriate paperwork is sent for another waiver.
April 10, 2014:
I receive my files from the hospital along with a bill for $11.04 for copying fees. I write them a message that includes the phrase "reasonable reliance." They apologize and waive the fee.
April 11, 2014:
I am told to go back to MEPS for another hearing test.
April 16, 2014 (5AM-11AM):
I go back to MEPS. As always, the Navy covered my hotel room and food. What they may not have covered was the communication between the people who told me to go back to MEPS and the people at MEPS, because when I was finally called in to do the test the doctor (who was the same doctor who saw me a year ago) was very confused as to why I was back there. He said that I needed a waiver for the surgery before I could retake the hearing test. I started to explain that someone at MEPS had authorized my return because I had a letter from them saying as much, and he told me to stop acting like a lawyer. While he was trying to sort out what to do with me, another doctor told me to go take the hearing test, so I went ahead and did that and passed the test.
After passing the test, I went to turn in that paperwork in order to apply for a waiver for my surgery. I expected this process to take a minimum of three weeks, as usual.
April 16, 2014 (3PM):
I make it back to DC and am on my way to give Kelsey her car back and go to a class. My recruiter calls and tells me that my waiver has gone through (in record time- I imagine someone sitting in the waiver office just saw my name one too many times and said "not him again!"). So - I now have hearing within range and the surgery that I got in order to get my hearing in range has been given a seal of semi-approval.
April 17-18, 2014:
I turn in what should be the last of my paperwork to an officer in DC. This brings the my total number of recruiters/processors/people assigned to my case to something like eight. Well, the more the merrier.
At this point I am just waiting for the paperwork to process and, according to everyone, I am back on for Navy JAG and should be able to commission whenever all of that paperwork comes back. I was going to delay posting this until that actually happens, since I am now very wary about counting chickens before they hatch, but since Kels posted a new blog mentioning it, I figured I had to put something out there.
Just two exams stand between me and an entire summer of preparing for another giant exam. And then maybe after that I will have the job that I thought I had a year ago and then was certain that I had lost up until a week ago. Yay!
Though I have kept track of much of my fun experience in attempting to become a JAG, I haven't posted everything. For my future reference, I decided to make a timeline:
July 15, 2013:
I go to MEPS (military entrance processing station). Fail hearing test. Am told to get a waiver and there will be no problem whatsoever.
August 12, 2013:
Waiver denied. Am told there are no waivers for hearing being granted. Am told this is pretty much the end of the line.
August 20, 2013:
Request to retake hearing test denied. Am told this is pretty much the end of the line.
October 14, 2013:
Earliest appointment I could get with an ENT in the city. ENT thinks I could probably pass the test if given another chance and writes a letter to the Navy.
December 18, 2013:
Request to retake hearing test denied. Am told this is pretty much the end of the line. Also, my original recruiter is transferring and I get a new recruiter.
December 31, 2013:
Ear surgery. Tiny bones are superglued together.
February 24, 2014:
I find out the ear surgery actually improved my hearing by about 10 decibels in the appropriate range.
March 5, 2014:
New waiver consideration package sent in with results from surgery.
March 11, 2014:
I receive an e-mail telling me that my new waiver was denied because I failed the hearing test. Am told this is absolutely the end of the line.
March 11, 2014:
I question why my having failed the hearing test previously would result in a denial following a surgery to correct the hearing.
March 11, 2014:
I am told that I failed the hearing test twice and that's why I can't take it again. Am told my only resort is to complain to my congressman.
March 11, 2014:
I respond that I am aware I took the hearing test twice because both tests were done on the same day. I ask whether it is official policy that having ever failed a test means you can never take that test again even if the underlying condition is corrected. I point out that I am asking because such information goes against everything anyone in the Navy has ever told me, ever.
March 11, 2014:
A new recruiter calls me and says he is taking over my case. Also, my original recruiter comes back and starts working with me again.
March 12, 2014:
The hospital says they will mail me my records.
March 19, 2014:
The hospital apologizes for having said they will mail me my records without actually mailing me my records. They say they will mail me my records.
March 24, 2014:
I go to the hospital. I take my records. The hospital apologizes for having told me that they would mail me my records twice and then losing all my paperwork. They helpfully point out that I have a very common name and that my paperwork would be easy to misfile.
March 25, 2014:
The appropriate paperwork is sent for another waiver.
April 10, 2014:
I receive my files from the hospital along with a bill for $11.04 for copying fees. I write them a message that includes the phrase "reasonable reliance." They apologize and waive the fee.
April 11, 2014:
I am told to go back to MEPS for another hearing test.
April 16, 2014 (5AM-11AM):
I go back to MEPS. As always, the Navy covered my hotel room and food. What they may not have covered was the communication between the people who told me to go back to MEPS and the people at MEPS, because when I was finally called in to do the test the doctor (who was the same doctor who saw me a year ago) was very confused as to why I was back there. He said that I needed a waiver for the surgery before I could retake the hearing test. I started to explain that someone at MEPS had authorized my return because I had a letter from them saying as much, and he told me to stop acting like a lawyer. While he was trying to sort out what to do with me, another doctor told me to go take the hearing test, so I went ahead and did that and passed the test.
After passing the test, I went to turn in that paperwork in order to apply for a waiver for my surgery. I expected this process to take a minimum of three weeks, as usual.
April 16, 2014 (3PM):
I make it back to DC and am on my way to give Kelsey her car back and go to a class. My recruiter calls and tells me that my waiver has gone through (in record time- I imagine someone sitting in the waiver office just saw my name one too many times and said "not him again!"). So - I now have hearing within range and the surgery that I got in order to get my hearing in range has been given a seal of semi-approval.
April 17-18, 2014:
I turn in what should be the last of my paperwork to an officer in DC. This brings the my total number of recruiters/processors/people assigned to my case to something like eight. Well, the more the merrier.
At this point I am just waiting for the paperwork to process and, according to everyone, I am back on for Navy JAG and should be able to commission whenever all of that paperwork comes back. I was going to delay posting this until that actually happens, since I am now very wary about counting chickens before they hatch, but since Kels posted a new blog mentioning it, I figured I had to put something out there.
Just two exams stand between me and an entire summer of preparing for another giant exam. And then maybe after that I will have the job that I thought I had a year ago and then was certain that I had lost up until a week ago. Yay!
Thursday, April 24, 2014
Today is My Last Day of Class in Law School
Which would be a lot more celebratory (like it was at W&M) if I didn't have exams. Ah well, yay anyway. I'm going to be breaking up exam time with a lot of fun theater and concert experiences- Ben Folds, Henry IV Part 2 (saw Part 1 yesterday and it was great), Frozen (the singalong version), an orchestra concert at GW, Children of Eden at the Kennedy Center, escaping a zombie in a room with Ben... I didn't actually plan all of these out to happen at the same time, but I don't mind that it happened this way.
Tuesday, April 22, 2014
Emily Goo's Epic Birthday of Epicness
In what will be a total surprise to no one, Emily Goo's birthday weekend in NYC was every bit as Goo-ish as possible. Yes, everyone wore suits- even the ladies. Yes, we all posed for pictures with obnoxiously large cigars (just for holding, not for smoking). Yes, we ate at a restaurant in which the only possible orders were "more meat" or "no more meat." No, there was not as much sleeping as any normal person might need.
Trevor and Meg were very kind and allowed me, Kelsey, and Josh to stay with them in Hoboken on Friday night. I had no idea it was so easy to get from Hoboken to NYC- fifteen minutes flat to 33rd street in Manhattan. We had a more difficult time figuring out the correct way to get to Hoboken from Newark- the short conclusion of that story is that we have several brand new one-way tickets from Newark to Hoboken if anyone... you know... wants them.
Brunch by the river. Shortly after this picture was taken we sprinted to the PATH station to take a train into NYC and barely made it on time for a matinee of Phantom- one of my birthday gifts. The guy playing the phantom was an understudy and missed a few lines but still was the best phantom acting-wise out of the four or so that I have seen.
Free cupcakes on Easter Saturday
Aaand we're back (on the Dupont metro escalator).
Thursday, April 17, 2014
My Disney Post Additions
You may have seen Kelsey's comprehensive and extensive Disney post. I also worked on that one. But I wanted to take a moment on my own blog to tell the story of a brave little girl at Disney who conquered her fears and learned an important lesson about doing things that scare you.
This is the little girl. See her sitting in Eeyore's hut? Very sad.
She didn't want to go on the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, but she went anyway. And she screamed her head off.
Right middle center.
She felt similarly about Dinosaur but had already conquered her fears so put up less of a fuss about it.
Still screamed though. Middle, second from left.
That's all I really wanted to add to the Disney post that was already written.
Thursday, March 6, 2014
Bar Application Submitted
I had to borrow ten dollars from Sara, find a public notary to notarize on two separate pages (I'm certain there is rampant fraud of people who just want to take the bar exam so badly that they are willing to steal identities in order to do it), go to the post office twice, have North Carolina send me my complete driving record, send requests to two separate offices at William and Mary, prepare five friends for the future harassment of bar officials seeking confirmation that I am a person who will not single-handedly wreck the integrity of the justice system, describe in detail everywhere I have lived in the past ten years, and photocopy the double sided sections (but ONLY the double sided sections!) of the application packet, but I have officially mailed in my application to take the bar exam in Maryland.
If I was a good boy and did absolutely everything right without forgetting to sign my name on page fifty-three or something like that, then I will be rewarded by the generous invitation to sit for two days taking an extended test that will cover nothing that I have actually learned in law school. If I pass that test, then around twelve weeks later I will be graciously allowed to join the illustrious ranks of a profession that, in the eyes of a vast majority of the public, is best known by its complete lack of integrity and general competence.
But I'm going to Disney World on Sunday, so today was a good day.
If I was a good boy and did absolutely everything right without forgetting to sign my name on page fifty-three or something like that, then I will be rewarded by the generous invitation to sit for two days taking an extended test that will cover nothing that I have actually learned in law school. If I pass that test, then around twelve weeks later I will be graciously allowed to join the illustrious ranks of a profession that, in the eyes of a vast majority of the public, is best known by its complete lack of integrity and general competence.
But I'm going to Disney World on Sunday, so today was a good day.
Tuesday, February 25, 2014
On Things That Refuse to Die
The past month has been excellent. There was a trip down to NC for the weekend, there was House of Cards, there was a fun second-round interview in Baltimore, there was much theater, there was much mock trial, and there were many snow days. The more interesting of these things are covered in Kelsey's blog.
I feel that I have a duty to continue reporting on the status of my ear on this blog, though, because some day the story will have some sort of ending. That day is not today.
On February 11th, I got the go-ahead from my ENT to get another audiogram. I was not hopeful about it, since I didn't notice much of a change in my hearing from before the surgery. Of course, this entire issue arose because I didn't notice ANYTHING about my hearing before this past summer, so "things I notice" isn't exactly the most trustworthy of tests.
So, just to recap: in August (and presumably from then until December 31st), the hearing in my left ear was fine but the hearing in my right ear was strangely not-fine.
Left ear- fine. Right ear- not fine.
The numbers on the Y axis reflect how much louder a sound had to be (at each frequency represented on the X axis) for me to be able to hear it like a normal person. You can see it varies from 20 decibels (a whisper-volume louder) to 40 decibels (something between a whisper-volume and a normal conversation-volume louder). I failed my hearing test for the Navy due to the little circle under 2K that sits at 40. Every other number was okay.
So, let's compare these results to the numbers that I got back from my appointment yesterday:
Left ear- still normal. Right ear- the high frequencies remained the same and the low frequencies took a crash. The takeaway from this is that my right-ear hearing is now back in the "normal" range and is no longer considered "mild hearing loss." I was surprised, but I'll go along with it.
So, theoretically, if I took the hearing test now for the Navy, I would pass. That said, they would have to LET me retake the test and possibly give me a waiver (the thing that they are not fond of giving me) for the surgery that I had, depending on how you categorize it. Given how the process has played out so far, I am not getting my hopes up. Part of me even hoped that I would fail my audiology exam yesterday so that I would have closure on the issue. But that did not happen, and that is the story of how my Navy JAG quest continues to stubbornly refuse to die.
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